The ongoing thread on "The Prog Mind" has generated some great discussion about the role of science fiction in prog, either as inspiration for music or as a product of the music itself! Some great examples;

a) the soundtracks to movies "Forbidden Planet" and "Bladerunner," both of which had fantastic prog elements! FP had one of the earliest synth music soundtracks, and the story was amazing! "Bladerunner" was pure genius, with a soundtrack by Vangelis!

b) specific songs or LPs including "Watcher of the Skies" by Genesis, "Karn Evil 9" by ELP etc.

c) prog albums that, in and of themselves, are significant works of science fiction! I like Jon Anderson's "Olias of Sunhillow" as an example!

I'd love for PA forum members to take this and run with it! I'm not as interested in sword & sorcery/fantasy, but take it where you will! Cheers, Charles!

What you exclude is interesting since I find a lot of fantasy elements in Olias of Sunhillow. Starship Trooper has that Sci-Fi theme of course, but so do a lot of Yes songs: Yours Is No Disgrace, And You and I, Gates of Delirium. I also find it in Turn of the Century to an extent, and Awaken. Tons of songs. Too many for me to list here at this time of night after celebrating the holiday.

The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty"

Obviously sci fi is very dear to my heart. I've read a lot of sci fi, had some sci fi stories published, and my album (Hibernal - The Machine) is a sci fi concept album. So it's something I've explored from many angles.

One recent album with sci fi themes that's really grabbed my attention is Breaking Orbit's "The Time Traveller". I recently did a review for it here on PA as well. That's the first one that comes to mind.

What you exclude is interesting since I find a lot of fantasy elements in Olias of Sunhillow. Starship Trooper has that Sci-Fi theme of course, but so do a lot of Yes songs: Yours Is No Disgrace, And You and I, Gates of Delirium. I also find it in Turn of the Century to an extent, and Awaken. Tons of songs. Too many for me to list here at this time of night after celebrating the holiday.

No, I wasn't excluding fantasy at all! In fact, much of the best sci-fi and fantasy inter-twine....I just am not that interested in re-hashes of "Lord of the Rings"!

Indeed, "Olias" does beautifully blend sci-fi with fantasy, I appreciate your comment! I filmed this a few years ago....

From Arjen's output also worth mentioning is the prog metal project Star One that has songs based on various sci-fi movies and series. And his latest solo album of course, but I didn't dig that so much.

GENESIS's 'Watcher of the Skies' was mentioned (inspired by A. C. Clarke's Childhood's End). Well, I think Foxtrot includes another song that's bordering Sci-Fi: 'Take 'em Out by Friday'. Just think of the "conclusion" in the problem. Genetic control... people will be shorter in height to fit twice as much in the same building size. Something like J. G. Ballard might have written.

RUSH's Neil Peart seems to be fond of Sci-Fi.

TONY BANKS's A Curious Feeling was originally intended to be (more directly) based on Daniel Keyes novel Flowers for Algernon.

HAWKWIND collaborating with Michael Moorcock, Warrior on the Edge of Time.

NEKTAR's Journey to the Centre of the Eye (1971) is very strongly metaphorical Sci-Fi/Fantasy, as well as other Nektar albums.

Etc, etc...

I have often thought of progressive rock being "the science fiction in music", an analogy, I mean.

Obviously sci fi is very dear to my heart. I've read a lot of sci fi, had some sci fi stories published, and my album (Hibernal - The Machine) is a sci fi concept album. So it's something I've explored from many angles.

One recent album with sci fi themes that's really grabbed my attention is Breaking Orbit's "The Time Traveller". I recently did a review for it here on PA as well. That's the first one that comes to mind.

I've been addicted to that Breaking Orbit album for a few months now. It's pretty amazing. Simon Collins' new band, Sound of Contact, recently released a debut album, "Dimensionaut". It's very sci fi, and very good, too. I wrote a review for it for powerofmetal.dk, though it's not metal in any way (I'm basically the prog guy there). http://powerofmetal.dk/reviews13/sound_of_contact_review.html

Oh, and Jean Michel Jarre did a show called "Rendez Vous In Space" which was in collaboration with Arthur C. Clarke who appeared on the screen reciting some epic thoughts and aphorisms, if I remember correctly. The music was quite horrible though, so I haven't watched it more than once.

There was a sci-fi magazine published in Italy in the early 70s, called "Galassia"" (Galaxy). I have read on one of them an article about sci-fi and music. It was not properly about prog as I think the word prog didn't actually exist. I remember the author mentioning Magma, Jefferson Starship, and even a now ancient pop-star whose first album had something of prog: Riccardo Cocciante and his suite "Mu". Of course Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream were mentioned as well. I'm sure that I still have that copy in some box in a garage.

I'm a huge sci-fi fan and collector. From manga/anime and series to oldschool books. Well, my TOP PROG SCI-FI CONCEPT:

3 - ELP - Karn Evil 9

2 - Khan - Space Shanty (album)

1 - Voivod (everything)

I have many musical projects, most about sci-fi, but unfortunattely, you will only find some Turtopsy demos at internet and stuff from the last release at the myspace, and it's extreme music, so too many people around here will not get into this project. Actually, I'm recording a prog album within jazz/fusion, symphonic prog, avant-garde, psychedelic rock and death metal influences. The name for the project is Rashaverak (taken from C. Clarcke's Childhood's End) but it's not definitive. A tracklist:

The Sprawl Suite: a) Neuromancer b) Count Zero c) Monalisa Overdrive

Freak Show From Outer Space / Attack of The Nuclear Beast Creatures (original from Turtopsy, an early Technical Death Metal project of mine)

Somewhere Between Asteroids

For Tyrannobot Rex

...

and some suits aren't named yet

here's the lyrics for Somewhere Between Asteroids, it's a voivod-like prog metal song

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot create polls in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum